Europe Weighs Shooting at Cocaine Boats Carrying 2.5 Tons as Atlantic Smuggling Route Expands
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 16
Europe Weighs Shooting at Cocaine Boats Carrying 2.5 Tons as Atlantic Smuggling Route Expands
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 16
Summary
A new action memo urges European countries to use “engine-disabling tactics and shooting” against fast smuggling boats on the Atlantic cocaine route.
The push reflects a surge in traffickers using high-powered vessels that can outrun many coast guards; one intercepted boat carried 2.5 tons of cocaine and four crew members.
The proposals mark a shift toward military-style interdiction at sea, though they stop short of the missile strikes the Trump administration used against suspected smuggling vessels.
The debate underscores how Europe’s expanding Atlantic “cocaine highway” is pressuring governments to harden maritime enforcement far from shore.